Camera support clamp



Nov. 14, 1967 H. D. JAMlEsoN 3,351,988

' CAMERA ySUPPORT CLAMP Filed March 27, 1967 BY v A r rok/v5 Ys UnitedStates Patent Oilce 3,351,988 Patented Nov. 14, 1967 3,351,988 CAMERASUPPORT CLAMP Harry D. Jamieson, 5260 Alzeda Drive, La Mesa, Calif.92041 Filed Mar. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 626,131 4 Claims. (Cl. 24-243)ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A fixture for clamping an article, such as acamera, to a support, which fixture includes a foot carried by athreaded element, which element is rotatable relative to the foot. Astrap cooperates with the foot for fastening the article to the support.The strap is frictionally held on a strap bearing device, which isthreaded onto the threaded element.

The fixture of the present invention includes a foot which is adapted tobear against a front side, i.e., a top side, as shown in the drawing, ofa support. The foot is carried by a threaded element which carries thearticle to be supported and is rotatable relative to the foot. A strapbearing device is threaded onto the threaded element and is disposedbetween the foot and the article supporting end of the threaded element.Two portions of a strap are a'djustably and fixedly attachable to thestrap bearing device, and an intermediate portion of the strap bearsagainst opposite sides and the rear, i.e., the bottom of the support. Byturning the threaded element the foot is forced rearwardly, i.e., asshown downwardly to clamp the support between the foot and the strap.

Specifically, the central section of the strap bearing device isthreaded, and opposite side sections are provided with elongated slots,which slots are surrounded by elongated loops, including top and bottomruns. The distance between the runs is greater than the thickness of theside sections, whereby the loops can tilt relative to the side sections.The strap portions are laced through the slots and about the loops insuch manner that when the threaded element is turned to increase thedistance between the foot and the strap bearing device, the strapportions are frictionally attached to the strap bearing device andtravel with the latter.

' While the prior art, such as: McFaddin, Pat. No. 1,090,929, issuedMarch 24, 1914; Naglo, Pat. No. 1,103,- 814, issued Julyv 14, 1914;McNaughton, Pat. No. 1,357,- 295, issued November 2, 1920; Miller etal., Pat. No. 1,408,900, issued March 7, 1922; and Bodendieck, Pat. No.1,915,715, issued June 27, 1933, show fixtures for yclamping an articleto-a support, none shows the use of a strap which is lacedthrough aslotin lthe lfixture and 4about a loop, and which is brought intofrictional binding relationship with a tightening device of the fixture.

Other features and the advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention isillustrated.

In the drawing: s i l FIG. 1 isI a perspective view of the fixture,Jshowing the same fastened to a support and showing it carrying a camera;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the fixture and support, partly in section,the section of the strap bearing device being taken along line 2-2 ofFIG. 3, the strap being shown in binding relationship with the strapbearing device;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 4 4 of FIG. 3;and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3,but showing the strap in non-binding relationship with the strap bearingdevice.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the support 20 may extend inany direction, but is herein shown for illustrative purposes asextending horizontally, for example, as an arm of a chair.

The fixture 22 includes a foot 24 having an upwardly extending hollowboss 25 for receiving the lower end of a threaded element 26, it beingprovided with a groove 28 for receiving a holding pin 30. The upper endof the threaded element 26 supports a carrier 32. This carrier is pinnedat 34 to the element 26 and provides a hand hold for turning the element26. A standard swivel type coupling 36 is supported on the carrier andis locked in position by the member 38. Coupling 36 carries the camera40.

A strap bearing device 42 includes a central section 44 which isinterposed between the foot 24 and the carrier 32, and threaded onto thethreaded element 26. The device 42 also includesV opposite side sections46 and 48, provided, respectively, with elongated slots 50 and 52, slot50 being more clearly shown in FIG. 5.

Anelongated metal loop 54 surrounds side section 46 about the slot 50.This loop includes the upper run 56 and l-ower run 58. A like loop 60surrounds side section 48 about the slot 52, and it includes upper run62 and lower run 64. The outer ends of the side sections are providedwith protrusions 66 for preventing accidental removal of the loops fromthe sections.

A flexible strap 68 formed of a suitable material, such as woven cloth,includes portions 70 and 72, which are xedly attachable to the strapbearing device 42. Either one or the other of these portions may bepermanently attached to device 42, however, I prefer that both may bemoved relative to the device and xed through binding relationshipbetween the upper runs 56 and 62 of the loops and the side edges of thecentral section 44 of the device 42. To accomplish this, a portion 74bears against the rear (bottom) 76 and the opposite sides 78 and 80 ofthe support 20 and through portions 82 and S4, respectively, formscontinuations of portions 70 and 72. Part of portion 70 which extendsfrom portion 82 is laced through slot 50, and is disposed between theloop 54 and the central section of device 42, and then over the toprun56 of the loop. The reverse bend part 86 of portion 70 extendsdownwardly through the slot 50 and on the side of the loop opposite thepart 84. The part 86then merges into a hand hold portion 88. The portion72 is formed and laced likewise, the correspond- -ing parts beingindicated, respectively, by the numerals and 92 which latterpartrrnerges into a hand hold portion 94. v In attaching the fixture,the portion 74 of the strap is looped about the support 20, as shown inFIGS. l and .2. The hand holds 88 and 94 are then pulled to take up theslack in the strap. This can be done because the width of a slot 50 or52 is more than twice the thickness of the strap, plus the thickness ofthe metal forming the loop whereby the loop can tilt, as shown in FIG.2. However, the width of the slot is less than twice the thickness ofstrap, plus the width of the loop, whereby when the distance between thefoot 24 and the strap bearing device is increased, by turning thecarrier 32, the loops 54 and 60 will tilt, as shown in FIG. 2, and, uponfurther increase in the distance between the foot and device 42, bindingrelationship will result between the top of part 85 and the upper andouter part 96 of the central section 44 of device 42, and between thebottom of part 86 and the lower edge 98 of the outer slot forming wallfor slot 50. The Same will result with respect to corresponding strapportions, parts 90 and 92 and the sections 44 and 48.

After binding relationship is established between the strap and thestrap bearing device 42, the device can be locked in position by a locknut 100. The fixture can be removed readily by raising the lock nut 100and thereafter turning the carrier 32. After the binding relationshipbetween the strap and strap bearing device 42 is removed, the portion 74of the strap can be enlarged by pulling gently on either of the portions82 or 84 of the strap 68.

By virtue of the present invention, I have provided a fixture that canbe attached to practically any object or support about which the strapcan be looped, such as, an arm of a chair, a banister, an upright post,etc. Thus, it is a substitute in many aspects for a tripod. It is simplein construction, inexpensive to manufacture, simple to manipulate andfar less bulky and less expensive than practical tripods.

While the form of embodiment herein shown and described, constitutes thepreferred form, it is to be understood that other forms may be adoptedfalling within the scope of the claims that follow.

I claim:

1. A xture for clamping an article to a support having front, rear andopposite sides, said fixture comprising in combination:

(A) a foot adapted to be clamped against the support;

(B) means for clamping one side of the foot against the front side ofthe support, including:

(l) a threaded element having one end thereof rotatably attached to theopposite side of the foot, the other end of the threaded element forminga carrier for the article to be supported and a hand hold for turningthe threaded element;

(2) a strap bearing device having:

(a) a section threaded onto and disposed between the ends of thethreaded element;

(b) a side section formed integrally with and disposed on one side ofthe threaded section, said side section having:

(i) an elongated slot;

(3) a loop having elongated runs extending substantially longitudinallyof the slot and disposed on opposite sides of the slot and about theside section, the inside distance between the runs being greater thanthe thickness of the side section at the slot, whereby the loop istiltable relative to the side section;

(4) a strap having:

(a) a portion fixedly attachable to the strap bearing device;

(b) a second portion adjustably and xedly attachable to the strapbearing device;

(c) and an intermediate portion bearing against the opposite and therear sides of the support;

(d) said second mentioned portion extending forwardly from one of thesides of the support through the slot alongside a side of bothlongitudinal runs oi the loop and between the loop and the threadedscction of the strap bearing device, and then reversely through the slotalongside opposite sides of the runs of the loop and then beyond thestrap bearing device;

(i) the relative width of the slot with respect to the aggregatethickness of the strap and loop and the width of the loop are: the slotis wider than the thickness of the loop, plus twice the thickness of thestrap, and narrower than the width of the loop, plus twice the thicknessof the strap.

2. A xture as defined in claim 1, characterized to include:

(C) a lock nut on the threaded element for retaining the strap bearingdevice in adjusted position with respect to the threaded element.

3. A iixture as dened in claim 1, characterized to include:

(i) a protrusion at the outer end of the side section of the strapbearing device for preventing accidental removal of the loop from saidsection.

4. A fixture as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the strapbearing device includes:

(c) a second side section formed integrally with and disposed on theopposite side of the threaded section, said second side section having:

(i) an elongated slot;

(5) a loop having elongated runs extending substantially longitudinallyof the slot in the second mentioned side section and clisposed onopposite sides of the second mentioned slot and about the secondmentioned side section, the inside distance between the runs of thesecond mentioned loop being greater than the width of the secondmentioned side section at the slot whereby the loop is tiltable relativeto the second mentioned side section;

and further characterized in that:

(a) said rst mentioned portion (4) (a) of the strap extends forwardlyfrom the opposite side of the support through the second mentioned slotand alongside of both longitudinal runs of the second mentioned slot andbetween the latter loop and the threaded section of the strap bearingdevice, and then reversely through the second mentioned slot alongsidethe opposite sides of both runs of the latter loop and then beyond;

(i) the relative width of the second mentioned slot with respect to theaggregate thickness of the strap and loop and the width of the loopbeing the same as expressed in (4) (d) (i) of claim 1.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,528,268 3/1925 Schlegel248--231 XR 1,939,191 12/1933 Vibber 24-278 2,326,808 8/ 1943 Van Tuylet al 24-243 FOREIGN PATENTS 872,652 4/ 1953 Germany.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner,

1. A FIXTURE FOR CLAMPING AN ARTICLE TO A SUPPORT HAVING FRONT, REAR ANDOPPOSITE SIDES, SAID FIXTURE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A FOOTADAPTED TO BE CLAMPED AGAINST THE SUPPORT; (B) MEANS FOR CLAMPING ONESIDE OF THE FOOT AGAINST THE FRONT SIDE OF THE SUPPORT, INCLUDING: (1) ATHREADED ELEMENT HAVING ONE END THEREOF ROTATABLY ATTACHED TO THEOPPOSITE SIDE OF THE FOOT, THE OTHER END OF THE THREADED ELEMENT FORMINGA CARRIER FOR THE ARTICLE TO BE SUPPORTED AND A HAND HOLD FOR TURNINGTHE THREADED ELEMENT; (2) A STRAP BEARING DEVICE HAVING: (A) A SECTIONTHREADED ONTO AND DISPOSED BETWEEN THE ENDS OF THE THREADED ELEMENT; (B)A SIDE SECTION FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH AND DISPOSED ON ONE SIDE OF THETHREADED SECTION, SAID SIDE SECTION HAVING: (I) AN ELONGATED SLOT; (3) ALOOP HAVING ELONGATED RUNS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY LONGITUDINALLY OF THESLOT AND DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SLOT AND ABOUT THE SIDESECTION, THE INSIDE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE RUNS BEING GREATER THAN THETHICKNESS OF THE SIDE SECTION AT THE SLOT, WHEREBY THE LOOP IS TILTABLERELATIVE TO THE SIDE SECTION; (4) A STRAP HAVING: